The Lies We Tell Ourselves

Chapter 5

Two days after their innocent coffee meeting, Serena's world was once again thrown into chaos. The paparazzi photo—blurry, overexposed, but undeniably her—sitting across from Elias, laughing like old times. A moment that was supposed to be private, now plastered across every gossip site and social media feed.

Serena Vale and Elias Blackwell: Do Old Love Really Comes Back?
The Exes Share Intimate Coffee Date—Are They Back Together?
Last Year's Breakup, This Year's Romance?

Serena groaned as she scrolled through the articles. She knew this was bound to happen the moment she'd spotted that camera flash from across the street. She had hoped—foolishly—that it wouldn't turn into anything more than a harmless photo. But in their world, nothing was ever harmless. One picture was all it took for the rumors to reignite like a wildfire.

Leaning back against her couch, she closed her eyes, frustration boiling inside her. She had worked so hard to stay out of the limelight these past few weeks, focusing on herself, keeping a low profile. And now, all it took was a coffee with her ex to undo that silence. She could already feel the media breathing down her neck again.

Elias. She sighed, her thoughts circling back to him. Their breakup had been public—maybe too public—but they had managed to stay friends. It hadn't been easy, not with their past and the constant spotlight on them. Yet, they had somehow kept things civil. But with this new wave of rumors, she wasn't sure how long that peace would last.

On the other side of town, Laurent Gray sat in his dimly lit apartment, the faint glow of his phone casting shadows across his face. His jaw tightened as he stared at the screen—at that photo. The one of Serena and Elias. He'd been seeing it pop up everywhere for the past few hours, and no matter how much he tried to focus on anything else, it kept pulling him back.

Serena was with Elias.

The thought gnawed at him, settling like an uncomfortable weight in his chest. So, that's who she was with at the coffee shop. When Laurent had seen her sitting there, all too happy and comfortable, he hadn't thought much of it at the time. But now, with the context of who she was meeting, everything seemed to click into place.

He stood up, pacing the room in frustration. He didn't know why this bothered him so much.

Vale was free to do whatever she wanted.

She had always been fiercely independent, a quality he admired. But ever since their brief encounter outside the coffee shop, Laurent had found himself thinking about her more than usual.

Elias Blackwell. Laurent had heard the name before—how could he not? The musician had always been a shadow lurking in the background, never fully out of Serena's life. And now, seeing them together again, even if just for coffee, stirred something in Laurent that he couldn't quite put into words.

He ran a hand through his hair, his mind spiraling in a direction he didn't want it to go. Why did this get under his skin?

Elias Blackwell  was too good for Serena.

That was it.

Elias had always been calm, collected—he never let anyone rattle him. Serena, on the other hand, was a storm. She could be sharp, difficult, always had something to say, always stirring up drama. Laurent had seen it firsthand. Sure, she was ambitious and talented, but she was also a pain to deal with—never content, always needing more.

Elias didn't deserve to get dragged into that. The guy was a decent musician, with a reputation for staying out of messy headlines. Why would he let himself get caught up with someone like Serena? It made no sense to Laurent. She was trouble, even if she didn't mean to be.